Keyboard for multiple impression typewriters



Feb. 9, 1932.

A. L. PARKER KEYBOARD FOR MULTIPLE IMPRESSION TYPEWRITERS Filed June 16 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 fittariugy Wsses Patented Feb. 9, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ARTHUR L. PARKER, OF BBOOKLINE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE D'ICTA'I'YPE SHORTH AND MIACHINE COMPANY, INC., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE KEYBOARD FOR MULTIPLE DEPRESSION TYPEWBITERS Application filed June. 16,

words, and is to some extent a development of the subject matter of an invention disclosed and claimed by Paul Bourquin in U. S. Patent No. 1,395,994, dated November 1, 1921, entitled Multiple impression type-- writers.

A purpose of my invention is to provide a multiple impression typewriter with a keyboard that restricts the normal engagement positions of the individual operating fingers to such as may all be reached by opening and closing the operating fingers without changing the positions of the hand longitudinally or laterally with respect to the keyboard and that restricts the normal engagement positions of the thumbs to those that may be reached by variantly opening and closing the operating thumbs without changing the position of the hand with respect to the keyboard laterally or longitudinally.

A further purpose is to provide a multiple impression typewriter with two active keys for each thumb and two active keys for each finger, the thumb keys including four vowel keys, and the finger keys including two groups, one group for the fingers of each hand, each group including an inner row of four consonant printing keys and an outer row of three consonant printing keys and one shift or control key, each consonant printing key being adapted to print one character if depressed when the shift key is in normal position and a different character if depressed during depression of the shift key, and the shift key of one group not affecting the printing keys of the other group.

A- further purpose is to provide a keyboard in which the engagement positions of.

the individual fingers when printing syllables of initial and final consonants and an intermediate vowel are restricted to three for each finger that are under the respective fingers and adapted to be al'l reached by bending the finger without moving the hand of the operator longitudinally or laterally with respect to the machine and that restricts the 1928. Serial No. 285,800.

engagement positions of the thumbs to three that are laterally alongside of one another and adapted to be engaged by the thumb without changing the lateral or longitudinal ositon of the handwith respect to the keyoar Y A further purpose is to combine right-hand and left-hand individually shiftable groups of keys for printing initial and final consonants with a common figure shift controlling both groups of keys when printing numerical figures.

A further purpose is to provide a group of ten active keys for each hand, each group including seven shiftable finger keys for printing consonants, one shift finger key for adapting the seven to print a different set of consonants, and two vowel printing keys for operation by the thumb.

'A further purpose is to provide a multiple impression typewriter having a keyboard including a left-hand group of keys, a righthand group of keys and two shift ke s, one for printing keys of each. group not a the printing keys of the other group, with a third shift key controlling printing keys of both groups and located across the keyboard rearwardly adjacent keys of both groups for operation by different fingers of, either hand.

' Further purposes will appear in the'specification and in the claims.

While different forms of my invention may be adapted to use with any one of the many different formsof mechanisms for properly relating a keyboard to the operation of printing multiple impressions, I have elected to illustrate it in a single form and with mechanism that is disclosed in greater detail and claimed by Paul P. Bourquin in his application No. 286,552, filed June 19, 1928, copending herewith.

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic top plan view of my keyboard.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of a multiple impression typewriter having keys arranged in accord with my invention.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary left end elevation of .Figure 2. p

Figure 4 is a fragmentary section taken upon the line 4-4 of Figure 2 illustrating a cradle support of type bars and figure shift mechanism.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary section on the line 5-5 of Figure 2 illustrating a connection between the keys and type bars.

Figure 6 is a fragmentarysection taken upon the line 6-6 of Figure 2 illustrating the consonant shift mechanism.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary horizontal section taken upon the line 77 of Figure 3 illustrating cradle support of the type bars.

Broadly the whole machine 15 is a tool for makin printed (type-written) verbatim records 0% spoken words.

The record is made upon a relatively narrow strip of paper 16 that is usually fed from a suitable roll not shown, and each down stroke of the operator on to the keyboard 17 makes an impression that completes one line of the record, the paper spacing forward to the next line during the return of the depressed keys to their normal position preparatory to another stroke by the operator.

The mechanism is mounted upon stationary supporting structure that comprises a base plate 18 and side'plate housing members 19 and 20 that are rigidly fastened in any suitable way to the base plate, which is provided with legs 21 that are desirably rubber.

The principal operatin parts include the type members 22, the in ed ribbon 23, the strip of paper 16 that receives the printed record, the cylinder or plate; 24 which supports the impression strokes of the type-members, the operating keyboard 17 and also mechanism for forwardly feeding the ribbon, for forwardly feeding the paper and for shifting the type bars in order to present alternative type members into the printing position.

,The ribbon 23 feeds back and forth between suitable spools, not shown, preferably by suitablegearing from the platen 24 the gearing being also not shown. J

The printed record from the machine includes a line for each impression stroke upon the keyboard, and comprising either a word syllable or a number.

My invention is directed at a particularly desirable combination and arrangement of keys and cooperating shifthble type members operated and controlled b depression of the keys that permits writing tvord syllables and numbers more easily and rapidly than has hitherto been possible. .1

The word syllable strokes most usually comprise initial and final consonants and an intermediate vowel, and the number strokes comprise one or more numerical figures.

I restrict the number of active keys to two for each finger and two for each thumb, and one figure shift key in position to be depressed by different fingers of either hand, and lo-- cate all of the keys. so that any one or any number of the keys may be included in a stroke without varying the spread of the fingers or the lateral or longitudinal position of either hand with respect to the keyboard.

My keyboard as best seen in Figure 1 includes a left-hand group of keys, a righthand group of keys and a figure shift key 25 common to both groups.

Each group includes eight finger keys, an

inner row of four and an outer row of four,

and two thumb keys, one of the six keys not of the inner row being a shift or control key and the other nine being printing keys.

Preferably the shift or control key is the outer key of the index finger, 26 of the lefthand group of keys and 27 of the right-hand group of keys, and preferably the thumb keys 28 and 29 of'the left-hand group and 30 and 31 of the right-hand group are vowel keys.

In the latter event the seven printing finger keys of each group should be connected with cooperating shiftable type-bar mechanism so that any one of the keys is adapted to print any one of three characters, two different consonants with all of the keys and one numerical figure with all of the inner row ke s and some of the outer row keys.

preferably assign the keys type characters in accord with the notations on the individual keys shown in Figure 1.

In this arrangement if an operators stroke were to include all of the printing keys of both groups without any one of the shift keys, the impression would be-STCDWHR AEUI VRNTDSH.

The right and left hand consonant key groups are relatively independent except that both groups are put into figure shift during depression of the shift member 25.

A left-hand stroke that includes the shift 26 and all of the nine printing keys will give an imPression-SPMBFLR AE, and a stroke that includes the nine printing keys,

the figure shift 25 but not the shift 26 will give an impression1 2 3 4 AE.

In the same way a right-hand stroke that includes all of the right-hand printing keys and the consonant shift 27 will give an impression-UIB LMKPSTand a stroke that includes all of the right-hand printing keys and the figure shift 25, an impressionUI 5607089.

The initial and final consonants of the word syllables are single, double and triple.

The single consonants in the alphabet are B, C, D, F, G H, J, K, L, M, N, P, Q, R, S, T, V, W, X, Y and Z, twenty-one in all.

The principal initial double consonants include SC, SH. SK, SL, SM, SN, SP, SQ, ST, SW, TW, TH, TR, CH, CL, DW, DR, WH, WR, PL, PR, BL, BR, GL, GR, FL, FR and the principal initial triple consonants are STR, SPR, SPL and CHR, and I give the left-hand group of -consonants a sequence from left to right on the keyboard such as to permit writing these initial double and triple consonants, some of the consonants however being in code in order to limit the initial consonant type members to fourteen, two for each of the seven printing keys.

'I' divide initial consonants that occur most often into two groups (a) S, T, C, D, W, H, R, and (b) S, P, M, B,'F, L, R, and give'these letters the fourteen available keyboard positions that I have alloted to initial consonants; The S and R have been repeated in both (a) and (1)) groups in order to permit printing double and triple consonants in both groups.

I make the S and R of the (6) group dual letters, respectively X and N as well as S and R, see Figure 1, preferably givingone type a form having characteristics of both S and X, shown in Figure 1 as a crossed S, and the other a form having characteristics of both R and N, shown in Figure 1 as an R having an up stroke corresponding to the' end portion of the letter N.

The other consonants may be formed by coding, as by writing PB for G, DH for'J, C for K, CW for Q, TD for V, TC for Y, S for Z. These letters written by code combination are those that are of less frequent occurrence.

I use only four vowel keys and as there are five vowels either let one of the five comprise a code combination of two of the others or else provide shift mechanism.with one or more of the vowel keys.

WVith the keyboard of Figure 1 I may secure a code writing of thevowel O as by combining A andE.

I find it usually preferable not to shift the vowel keys but this is somewhat a matter of circumstance and individual preference, and where special circumstances make it. desirable may double the number of. individually different vowel characters (from four to eight) by making depression of the figure shift key 25 operate a shift for type bars of the vowel keys A, E, U and I, each of the shiftable vowel type bars then carrying one of the desired additional vowel characters in position to print if the vowel key is struck during depression of the figure shift key.

The final consonantsconsist of the same single consonants and the double consonants VR, FR, FT, RT, FN, RD, NT, ND, OH, TH, SH, RG, NG, BL, RL, RM, BK, RP, LM, LK, LT, NK, KT, PT, afew others and also tshe principal consonant endings with plural I divide the final consonants that occur most frequently into two groups (a) V,- R, N, T, D, S, H and ('b) B, L, M, K, P, S, T.

I repeat the letter T in both groups in order to provide T after L, P, K, and'S, and repeat S in each group to provide plurals.

The dual letter principle is desirably applied to the F and V of group (a) and to B and R of group (b) the printed letters being pressing the shift key 27 with the printing preferably given dualv forms combining E and V in the one case and B and R in the other, an operator determining by the context which letter is intended. The other consonants may be coded as by making TD represent G, KS represent X, DH represent CH and MK represent NK and S for Z.

The dual letters have type characters modified to suggest two letters, as indicated on the keyboard of the drawing.

In practice it is usually preferable to have the individual keys without letter marking, as it has been found that the location of the keys are readily memorized by an operator, who then writes faster and more easily without markings on the keys. For this reason the markings on the keys of the drawings (Figure 1) should be taken as merely indicative of the characters that may be printed by depressing the different printing keys 85 with and without depression of the different shift keys.

The different printing keys for the fingers normally print the lower characters (consonants) marked upon the different keys. The middle cha'ractersmarked on the finger keys of the left-hand group are. obtained by simultaneously depressing the shiftkey i 26 and the different printing keys carrying the desired characters; the-middle characters that are marked on the finger keys of the righthand are obtained by simultaneously deeys carrying the desired characters and the upper characters chiefly numerical figures markedon' the different finger printing keys of both groups'are obtained by simul taneously depressing the shift key 25 and the different keys carrying the desired characters. p

The shift key 25, common to all of the fingfiroperated keys, is usually called the figure s i t. j

,fThe keys are arranged and spaced for easiest operation by the fingers of average hands, and are mounted upon key levers 32 which are relatively far apart at the keys to provide the proper key spacing and are laterally bent at 33 and 34 to a substantially uniform spacing between the side plates 19 and 20, where they extend inwardly parallel to the side plates and pivot upon a horizontal transverse rod 35, being suitably spaced from one another along this rod.

The type members 22 are mounted /upon I 'the nearly vertical .bars 36 which have/horizontal pivotal support at their lower ends and operate by being swung rearwardly about their. lower pivots when the proper 1 2 5 link 37, which has pivot connection at its 1 forward end to the key lever and at its rearward end to the type bar.

The type bars of the finger keys have each three type characters 22, one above another, have vertically shiftable pivot support 38 at their lower ends and together'include two groups of seven bars.

The left-hand group includes the seven bars respectively operatively connected to the seven levers of the printing keys depressed by the fingers of the left-hand and the right-hand group includes the seven bars respectively operatively connected to the seven levers of the printing keys depressed by the fingers of the right-hand.

The initial consonant letters are all of the first group of seven bars, the final consonant letters all of the second group and the numerical figures are some in one group and some in the other.

The seven bars of each group individually pivot at their lower ends on the rod 38, which is shiftable to an upper position by depression of the left or right shift key 26 or 27 or shiftable to a lower position by depression of the figure shift 25.

The key levers all pivot upon the rod and in normal position press upwardly against a horizontal downwardly directed felt faced stationary stop 39 which extends horizontally across the tops of the key levers, being suitably carried from the side plates. I

The key levers are pulled individually up against the felt stop 39 by individual springs 40 which stretch between the levers and an anchor member 41 fastened between the side plates some distance above the stop 39, and are also engaged on their under sides by the upwardly directed felt face of a rocker member 42 that extends across the bottoms of the key levers and is operatively connected to the feed of the platen 24.

The left-hand and right-hand groups of seven type bars that are operatively connected respectively to the seven left-hand keys and to the seven right-hand keys are given independently vertically shiftable support at their lower ends by rocker or cradle members 43 and 44 respectively.

The cradle members 43 and 44, one for each 7 group of consonant keys, are axially alined,

both pivoting upon a stationary rod 45 between the side plates and the two cradles end to end together reach substantially from plate to plate. They are exactly alike so one only need to be described.

Each cradle comprises a sleeve or hub portion 46 having rearwardly and forwardly extending arms that respectively carry the rod 38 for pivot support of the lower ends of the type bars and a forward pin 47 for alternative operative engagement at one end by a cam 48 on a downwardly extending arm 49 from the lover of the figure shift member 25 and at the other end by a cam 50 upon a downwardly extending arm 51 from the lever 52 of one of the shift keys 26 or 27.

The rearwardly extending arm 53 of the cradle is vertically slotted alon its length to receive and space the lower ends of the type bars 36,-the rear pivot pin 38 extending transversely through the slots to pivot the ends of the type bars in the successive slots.

The right and left consonant shift members are alike and have an upper portion 52 that in side elevation is the same as the corresponding upper portions of the key levers of the forward row of consonant keys, the lateral bending at 33 and 34 however being less than with the other keys by reason of the shift keys being more near the middle of the keyboard.

The shift lever 52 is pivoted at its toe 55 upon the common pivot 35 for all of the key levers and the heel portion 51 is extended downwardly and provided with the cam-slot 50.

The cam slot 50 includes a sloping entrance 56 and an arcuate portion 57 that is concentric with the pivotal axis ofithe lever and definitely determines the angular position of the cradle and, therefore, the vertical height of the group of type bars supported by the cradle.

The cam slot 50 in the heel portion 51 of the consonant shift key lever has an entrance 0rtion sloping downwardly from the pin 4 to the arcuate portion 57 of the cam, while the cam slot 48 in the downwardly extending arm 49 of the figure shift lever slopes upwardly from the pin 47 to the arcuate portion 58, so that depression of the figure shift key moves the pin 47 upwardy and therefore the type bars downwardly while depression of the consonant shift moves the pin downwardly and the type bars supported by the other side of the rocker, upwardly.

The arcuate portion of both cam slots 48 and 50 are concentric with respect to the common pivotal axis of the members, that is with respect to the axis of the rod 35.

The actual depression of the shift members may be varied considerably without any variation whatever in the final positions of the type bars, in that the shift members have each a range of motion during which the pin 47 of the cradle is within the arcuate portion of the operating cam slot and throughout this range there is no variation in the vertical position of the type bars supported by the cradle.

The arcuate portions of the cam slot-s 48 and 50 respectively position the type bars for printing the upper and middle characters on the keys, which corres end however res ectively to the upper an lower type memfiers of the individual type bars, the middle position type members giving the characters that occur most frequently and corresponding to the lower characters on the keys of the drawlngs. 4

The type bars 59 carrying the vowels and operated by the vowel keys may obviousl be pivotally-mounted upon the cradle mem ers 43 and 44. In this-event all of the left-hand type bars are shiftably supportedv upon the left-hand cradle and all the right-hand type bars shiftably supported upon the right-hand cradle and'each type bar carries at least two and optionally three type members, corresponding to the normal lower and upper portions of the cradle, at least two of the type members preferably being'the same.

While this arrangement permits increasin (doubling) the number of characters printed by the four vowel keys, which in certain cases may be desirable, I usually prefer to provide each type bar with only one type character and to give them a stationary pivot 60, sulficiently rearward to clear the cradle members and the shiftable type bars carried by the cradle members.

The type bars of the vowel keys having then each only one type member, each vowel key alwa s prints the same character, while the type ars operated by .the other printing keys carry a plurality of typemembers, one

above another preferably three type members on each bar.

It will be obvious that I have provided a keyboard having an arrangement of keys that is particularly well adapted to the rapid, easy writing of verbatim records of spoken words, whether or not the dictated matter includes numbers, in that an operator is able to strike all the possible combinations of the available characters without lateral or longitudinal movements of the hands, merely having to suitably open or close the fingers and thumbs to position them for any printing stroke and not needing to vary the longitudinal and lateral positions of the hands no matter how many or what different printing strokes are made for the normal recording of spoken words.

This feature of .having one position only for each hand and three engagement positions only for each operating finger and for each operating thumb has also resulted in making it much more easy for a novice to learn the keyboard than has been possible in the past.

I illustrate an auxiliary key in Figure 2 between the right hand and left hand keys.

This key may optionally be omitted in that it does not cooperate with any of the other keys and has no direct relation to the present 'invention, being used only at relatively infrequent intervals for forwardly shifting the position of the paper on the roll preparatory to taking dictation upon a new subject. The finger intermediate key has been shown with a divided cap in order that it may present an appearance of uniformity with respect to .ters Patent is:

the active operating keys of the left hand and however, showing an intermediate non-active key, not part of the present invention and for use at relatively in equent intervals.

In view of my invention and disclosure variations and modifications to meet. individual whim or particular need will doubtless become evident to others skilled in the art, to obtain all or part of the benefits of my invention without copying the structure shown, and I, therefore, claim all such in so far as they fall within the reasonable spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Let- 1. In a multiple impression typewriter, a keyboard comprising two active keys for each thumb, two active keys for each' fin er,

and a figure shift for operation by the di erent fingers of both hands, the thumb keys including four vowel keys and the finger keys including right and left-hand groups, each group inclu ing an inner row of four consonant printing keys and an outer row of three consonant printing keys and one shift key, each consonant printing key being adapted to print one character if depressed when the shift key is in normal position and a different character if depressed during de ression of the shift key, and the shift key 0 one group not affecting the operation of the printing keys of the other group, and the figure shift across the keyboard near the innerrows of the finger keys when depressed adaptin finger keys of both groups di erent set of characters. I

. 2. In a multiple impression typewriter, a keyboard having right-hand and left-hand individuallyshiftable grou s of finger keys for printing initial and .fina consonants, one key ofeach group including. a shift key for shifting the characters printed by the remaining keys, and a common figure shift controlling both groups of keys for use in printing numerical figures.

3. 'In a multiple impression typewriter, a keyboard'having a group of ten active keys for each hand, each group including seven shiftable finger keys for printing consonants, one shift finger key for adapting the seven to print a different set of consonants and two vowel printing keys for operation by the thumb.

4;. In a multiple impression-typewriter, a keyboard having a group-of ten-activekeys for each hand, and a figure shift. key for adapting the shiftable keys of both groups to print figures and each group. of the active keys including seven shiftable keys for printing consonants, one shift key for adapting the to print a still seven to print a difl'erent set of consonants and two vowel printing keys.

5. In the keyboard of a multiple impression typewriter, left-hand and right-hand groups of keys including in each group printing keys and one shift key, the shift key of each roup afiecting a plurality of the printing ey; of its group and not afiecting any of theprinting keys of the other group, and a third shift key controlling a plurality of printing keys of both groups and located across the keyboard rearwardly adjacent keys of both groups and for operation by any of the fingers of either hand.

ART 1': 1L. PARKER. 

